Combustible cladding in Victoria: what it is, and do you need to rectify it?

In short: "Combustible cladding" usually means aluminium composite panels with a polyethylene core (ACP/PE) or expanded polystyrene (EPS) render systems. A building surveyor and fire engineer assess whether it complies and needs rectifying; a building contractor removes and replaces it with non-combustible material; and the building surveyor certifies the completed work. Below is how that plays out in Victoria.

Why combustible cladding became a problem

Two fires reset the industry: the 2014 Lacrosse tower fire in Melbourne's Docklands, and the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London. Both showed how quickly fire can spread up a façade clad in combustible panels. In response, the Victorian Building Authority ran a statewide cladding audit, and the State Government funded a rectification program for the highest-risk residential apartment buildings.

What counts as "combustible cladding"?

• ACP/PE — aluminium composite panels with a polyethylene core. The thin aluminium skins are fine; the plastic core is the fuel.
• EPS — expanded polystyrene render systems, common on lower-rise and rendered façades.

Not every panel is a problem. Risk depends on the panel type, how much there is, where it sits on the building, and the building's other fire-safety systems — which is exactly what an assessment determines.

Who assesses, who certifies, who does the work

This is the part that confuses a lot of owners. The roles are separate:

• Fire safety engineer — assesses the façade and the fire risk, and may prepare a fire engineering report or performance solution.
• Building surveyor — the statutory certifier. They determine compliance, and on completion issue the occupancy permit or certificate of final inspection.
• Building contractor — does the physical works: removing the non-compliant cladding and installing compliant replacement. That's the part 360 Access performs — we don't assess or certify; we install to the rectification scope and hand over the records the surveyor needs to sign off.

What replaces combustible cladding?

Compliant replacement generally means non-combustible material tested to AS 1530.1 under the NCC's Deemed-to-Satisfy pathway — solid aluminium, mineral-core panels or other compliant systems — or a façade system qualified by full-scale AS 5113 testing under a performance solution. New flashings, sealants and waterproofing are reinstated as part of the works.

What it means for owners corporations in 2026

The government's funded program targeted the highest-risk residential towers, and the large majority of those have now been remediated. Cladding Safety Victoria is being wound up in 2026, with its remaining functions moving to the new Building and Plumbing Commission. In practice, most cladding work now is privately commissioned — owners corporations, developers and asset managers arranging and funding rectification on buildings outside the funded program.

If your building still carries combustible cladding, the sensible path is: get it assessed by a surveyor/fire engineer, then engage a contractor to carry out the rectification to that scope. We work with owners corporations on exactly this.